1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a multi-position waveguide switch capable of coupling microwave energy from an input waveguide to any one of plural output waveguides or to any combination of output waveguides.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Microwave switches are generally known in the prior art, and typically employ a rotatable disk inside a clylinder having a radially extending waveguide attached to the cylinder wall in the plane of the rotatable disk. The rotatable disk is provided with internal waveguide channels having end ports disposed radially on the periphery of the disk to be placed in alignment with corresponding waveguides in the cylinder, thereby to achieve a coupling of selected external waveguides dependent upon the position of the rotatable disk. Typically, rotation of the disk is accomplished either manually or by a motor driven geneva mechanism or solenoid, which serves to align the radial parts of the disk with the external waveguides attached to the cylinder. However, it has been found that a relatively large motor and driving mechanism is needed to achieve a fast switching time using the conventional waveguide switch. Furthermore, the conventional waveguide switch employing a rotatable disk is restricted to a simple waveguide channel design in the interior of the disk, usually limited to a maximum of three channels, resulting in at most a three-way, four-port switch.
A good example of a prior art waveguide switch is found in U.S. Pat. No. 4,151,489 to Berman et al., wherein a four-port waveguide switch which allows any two pairs of ports to be interconnected is described. Other waveguide switches in the prior art utilizing rotatable switching mechanisms are found in U.S. Pat. No. 4,060,781 to Hudspeth et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,157,844 to Lanctot, and U.S. Pat. No. 2,629,048 to Dyke et al.
Examples of other prior art of interest in which is disclosed various microwave switching techniques can be found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,185,287; 4,061,989; 3,940,584; 3,342,966; 3,153,129; and 3,121,840.